WASHINGTON—Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, chair of
the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life
Activities, issued the following statement praising the work of pro-life
pregnancy centers on the occasion of oral arguments being heard today by the
U.S. Supreme Court in NIFLA v. Becerra.

Cardinal Dolan's full statement follows:

"Pro-life pregnancy care centers embody everything
that is right and good in our nation: generosity, compassion and love that is
offered to support both mother and child. But rather than applauding and
encouraging the selfless and life-affirming work of these centers, some
governments want to force them to provide free advertising for the violent act
of abortion in direct violation of their pro-life convictions and the First
Amendment. The United States Supreme Court cannot let this happen. We pray that
the Court will do the right thing and uphold our fundamental right to free
speech when it decides this case."

The USCCB and several
other groups filed a friend-of-the-court brief before the Supreme Court
supporting the pro-life pregnancy centers in this important free speech case. The
other groups are the California Catholic Conference, the Catholic Health
Association of the United States, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, the
Christian Legal Society and Agudath Israel of America. The full text of the brief is available
online: http://www.usccb.org/about/general-counsel/amicus-briefs/upload/NIFLA-Amicus-2018-01-13F.pdf.

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